Matt Birk Article

[YYZ66]

I think we sometimes forget how violent this game really is.

[url="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?page=hotread16/Birk"]link[/url]

I'm sure most players agree with Matt in that they don't regret going through this every Monday.

[McBoller]

beat me to it. Its a great article. These guys go through a lot more than people realize.

[ravenz_fan]

Matt is a standup guy who loves the game.For him to donate his body for the ood of future plyers just shows how serious he is

[Michael]

I would be really scared though if I was Birk. He has no clue what his future beholds for him. Will he walk, wheelchair bound, or even brain damage. It has to be scary stuff.

[theFRANCHISE]

Scary stuff indeed, but every NFL player knows the risk they take when they lace their cleats. They may not know what lays ahead, but they know that they love the game enough to keep playing, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it.

That's why I believe that today's professional athletes are like our modern-day gladiators; they sacrifice their bodies for our entertainment, and their reward is our love and the status that comes with it.

Besides the money, most of them wouldn't do it if we didn't love them for it.

[BloodRaven]

Its kinda sad that NFL players have a life expectancy of around 55 years (linemen around 52) It seems 20 years is the price you pay for all that fame, adulation and money.

[MKdave]

The comments on that article are infuriating, as they always are with ESPN articles.

[Shawn`]

Entertaining other people is the hardest job in the world, people pay with their lives, psychologically and physically. Great article.

[ZIBBY28]

+1 good find